The present invention relates to ceramics and in particular to a ceramic support apparatus whereby a ceramic article may be supported in the interior of a kiln while the ceramic article is being fired without creating blemishes in the observable part of the ceramic article.
The making of a ceramic article generally involves providing a ceramic material which is first hardened by drying and then bisque-firing it. Thereafter, a glaze is applied over the exterior surface of the article. The glazed ceramic object is finally glaze-fired in a kiln at extremely high temperatures up to about 2500 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
Many types of ceramic articles can be fired by simply placing the article on a shelf inside the kiln. However, certain shapes of ceramic objects such as, for example, egg shaped objects or certain types of bowls, require the use of some type of support so that they will not roll or otherwise move during the firing process. In general, when such a support is required in the prior art, a small ceramic tripod-like device with upwardly extending support cusps at each corner of the tripod device is used to prevent the ceramic article from rolling or to otherwise support the ceramic article on the tripod-like device. However, such devices suffered the disadvantage of having to make contact with the surface of the ceramic object at an outside location which could be seen by an observer. After the ceramic article was fired, the tripod-like device had to be dislodged from the outside location of the ceramic article frequently causing unsightly damage to the article or at the least causing three small blemishes at the point where the tripod-like device made contact with the ceramic article. Such blemishes detract from the aesthetic value of such objects.
Consequently, it is desired to provide a new type of ceramic support apparatus by which a ceramic article can be supported inside a kiln during firing without leaving unsightly blemishes at tripod support locations which can be observed when the ceranic article is placed on display. The present invention provides such a device whereby the ceramic article is supported, not at an external observable location, but at an inside location where any blemish which does occur will be hidden and therefore not observable when the article is put on display.